Journey to the Past
by I'm Still So Deep
Summary: Despite Bulma's warning, Trunks and Goten travel back in time to watch Mirai Trunks' fight with Frieza. And just as Bulma predicted, the two half-Saiyans traveling back in time leads to nothing but chaos.
A/N: This fic was based on an idea one of my lovely followers on Tumblr gave me, and this story takes place sometime after Resurrection F. I hope you guys will enjoy this first chapter. (:

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters

* * *

"Yes, yes, _yesssss_! Finally, it's done!"

Bulma Briefs flashed a dazzling smile as she did a celebratory dance in her lab, not even caring that she was covered in oil and grime. Her blue eyes then landed on the source of her happiness, her heart swelling with pride.

For the last few years, she had been working on a special project, without informing a single soul of her endeavor. It was an invention she wasn't creating for CC, or for the general public. No. In fact, this was an invention that had already been created at one point in time, by a beautiful, intelligent scientist who had built it to help save the world. That scientist was Ms. Bulma Briefs herself.

Her _future_ counterpart, that is.

Standing back, Bulma admired the time machine in front of her. Yes, after years of hard work, the Capsule Corp heiress had created a time machine just like her future self. Always up for a challenge, Bulma knew that if her future counterpart could complete such a daunting task, she knew that she could do the same, too. And she knew that she could build an even _better_ time machine at that. Bulma let out a smug chuckle as she touched the sleek metal in front of her, her soft fingertips dragging down the cold surface.

"Fuck yeah, girl, you're amazing!" Bulma beamed, giving herself a pat on the back. She never ceased to amaze herself with all the things her genius mind could accomplish.

As she walked towards her desk to grab a paper towel to rid her hands of the oil that stained them, her lab door slid open and her twelve-year-old son appeared before her. "Hey, Trunks," Bulma greeted him with a smile, sitting on the edge of her desk as she removed the filth from her manicured nails.

"Hey, Mom," Trunks said with his own smile, his bookbag on his back since he had just gotten home from school. "I just wanted to ask if Goten can sleep over tonight, since there's no school tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'm sure Chi-Chi won't have a problem with that. I'll give her a call in a sec," Bulma responded, throwing the paper towel into a nearby trashcan.

"Okay, great!" Trunks cheered. He was on his way back out the door, but the time machine across the room caught his attention, his azure eyes expanding as he looked it over. "What is _that_?"

" _That_ is a time machine that your incredible mother built all by herself. Impressive, huh?" she grinned, watching as he circled around the time machine.

"A time machine?! Woah, that's so freakin' cool, Mom!" Trunks exclaimed, practically pressing his nose against the metal surface as he observed it. "Sooo, whatcha gonna do with it?"

"I'm not sure," Bulma admitted, standing beside her son. "I actually built it just to prove to myself that I could do it. Since my future self already-" Bulma cut herself off, realizing that she and Vegeta had never told Trunks about Mirai Trunks, or the doomed future that he came from.

"What? Your future self?" Trunks quizzed, darting his eyes over to his mother. "It's only four o'clock in the afternoon. Have you already started drinking wine or something?"

"No, I wish," Bulma sighed, in need of a tall glass of red wine after all the hard work she accomplished that day. She then cleared her throat and peered down at her son. "Anyway, I think it's time I tell you about _the future_."

"Uhhh. . .oookay," Trunks answered, slinging his bookbag off his shoulders and sitting down in a nearby chair as Bulma seated herself at her desk.

She stared blankly at her laptop screen as a momentary distraction, musing over where to begin. "Well, you remember Frieza, right?" she ventured, reclining back in her seat.

Trunks nodded. "Yeah, duh. Kinda hard to forget about him, Mom."

"Well. . .two years before you were born, Frieza came to Earth for the first time with his father. And the person who ended up saving us all from Frieza and his dad was a teenager from the future. That teenager turned out to be your future self."

"Me? _I_ killed Frieza?"

"Mmh," Bulma nodded, a small smile appearing on her face as she saw how incredulous her son appeared. "Your future self was a very brave young man, and traveled to the past in a time machine that my future self built him so that he could warn us all about some bad events that were gonna occur."

Bulma then paused, not knowing whether she should delve into the full extent of how dark and bleak Mirai Trunks' future was. She didn't like to sugar-coat things, but she didn't feel like explaining how the future Android 18 and her brother had killed almost all of the Z fighters with ease. While Android 18 in the present timeline was not the friendliest person in the world, she was far from the killing machine that her future self was, and Trunks, along with Goten and Marron of course, never knew that years ago the beautiful blonde had been looked at as an 'enemy'. Same went for Vegeta as well; his dark past was something that Bulma and Vegeta had agreed would not be a topic of discussion until their son was much older.

Luckily, Trunks was too hung up on the fact that his future self had annihilated Frieza to ask for specific details about the series of 'bad events' in the future.

"HEY!" he suddenly shouted, causing Bulma jump a little in her seat. "I have a greaaat idea! Why don't you let me go back in time to watch my future self fight Frieza! I wanna see myself kick some butt, and see if my teenage self is going to be even better looking than I already am now!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Bulma said, her voice cautious. "If you go back in time God-only-knows what kind of chaos would ensue!"

"But Mooooom! I'll be careful, I promise! And-"

"Trunks, I said no, and you're not going to change my mind."

"You're so lame sometimes," Trunks muttered under his breath as he jumped out of his chair.

" _What_ did you say, young man?" Bulma asked in a warning tone, swirling around in her wheeled chair to look at him as he turned to walk out the door.

"Nothing," Trunks sneered before closing the door behind him.

Bulma massaged her temple as she turned back around to her desk, exhaling through her nose. She didn't like disappointing her son, but she just couldn't risk him going back in time and having history altered. Mirai Trunks had done a good job of initially keeping his identity a secret from everyone except for Goku, and Piccolo since he had been able to eavesdrop on their private conversation. But she wasn't sure that Trunks would be able to accomplish the same feat.

With a sigh, Bulma got to her feet and made her way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Hopefully a sleepover with Goten would help take Trunks' mind off the time machine.

* * *

Later that evening, Goten and Trunks were up in Trunks' room, watching a movie. Goten was stuffing his face with popcorn, while Trunks was frowning at the tv in front of him, his arms crossed. He was still mad that his mom wasn't allowing him to go back in time. What was the point of having a time machine if it wasn't being used?!

"Bwhahaha. That talking zebra is fuuuunny!" Goten laughed, pointing at the cartoon zebra on the screen. When his best friend didn't give him a response, Goten glanced at Trunks and tilted his head. "What's wrong with you? You've been in a bad mood since my mom dropped me off."

Trunks sighed, leaning back against the pillow he had propped up behind him. "My mom made a time machine, but she won't let me use it. She's so annoying sometimes."

"A time what?" Goten asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"A time machine, dufus! You know, time traveling. We could go back in time to whatever year we wanted!"

The younger half-Saiyan's eyes widened. "Wow, really?! That's cool! But why won't your mom let you use it?"

"She's worried that if I go back in time I'll somehow alter history. But I wouldn't. I'd be extra careful."

"Awww, man. That stinks she won't let you use it. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun!"

Slowly, a mischievous grin appeared on Trunks' face as he turned to his best friend. "To heck with what my mom said. Let's use it right now!"

"What?! But we'll get in trouble!" Goten protested as his best friend got to his feet.

"I don't care," Trunks said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "My mom told me that two years before I was born, Frieza came to Earth and my future self killed him! I want to see the fight for myself, and I'm not gonna let my mom stop me!"

"Woah, that's awesome! Was my future self there, too?" Goten asked innocently.

"Hm. . .I dunno. But there's only one way to find out!" Trunks grinned cheekily, racing towards his door.

Goten stumbled as he got to his feet, running behind his best friend. "But. . .what if we get caught going into your mom's lab?" Goten asked nervously, glancing down the hall towards Bulma and Vegeta's bedroom.

"Judging by the way my dad's ki is spiking, he's too busy to be paying attention to anything going on outside of my parents' room," Trunks stated with a calm expression as he made his way down the stairs.

"Oh. . .are your parents having a 'private training' session?"

"Seems like it," Trunks grimaced, making a sour face. He stopped as he came into the kitchen, reaching for the cookie jar. "We can't time travel on an empty stomach!"

"Yeah!" Goten nodded in agreement as Trunks handed him a handful of chocolate chip cookies before racing down the hall.

Once they reached Bulma's lab, the two demi-Saiyans rushed up to the time machine, and Goten couldn't help but admire it. "Woah, it's even cooler looking than I thought it would be!" Goten exclaimed.

Trunks opened the door and hopped up into one of the seats, looking down at the control panel. "This can't be that hard to operate," he murmured as his fingers slid along a row of buttons.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Goten beamed, taking a seat beside his best friend.

Trunks' finger landed on a button labeled as 'designated date', and upon remembering that his mother had told him his future self's fight with Frieza took place two years before his birth, he entered in the appropriate date.

"Fasten your seatbelt, Goten! We're ready for take off!"

* * *

An unsettling feeling in her stomach caused Bulma to sit upright in bed, sweat dripping down her forehead. "What the hell?"

She glanced over at her husband, who had just fallen asleep a few minutes ago after they finished a round of lovemaking. "Hon? Wake up," she whispered, gently nudging his shoulder.

When she got no response, she repeated what she said in a louder voice, and shook his shoulder harder.

Still no response.

"GODDAMMIT, VEGETA, WAKE UUUUUP!" she screeched, using all her strength to shove him.

The Saiyan prince's eyes shot open in irritation a few seconds later, sending his wife a harsh glare. "What in the hell do you want, you shrieking banshee?!"

"I just had the worst feeling in my stomach," Bulma breathed out, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I feel like something is wrong with Trunks."

"Woman, the boy is fin-" Vegeta's words trailed off, his face going blank.

Upon seeing the look on her husband's face, Bulma's eyes grew impossibly wide. "Vegeta? What is it?"

"I. . .I can't sense Trunks or Kakarot's spawn. . ."

"WHAT?!"

Vegeta barely had time to blink before Bulma bolted out of the bed, grabbing her robe on the floor and slipping into it as she darted down the hall. He quickly slipped on a pair of sweatpants and followed his wife, standing beside her as she observed their son's empty room. "Oh my God. . .where the heck could those two have gone?!" Bulma cried, her heart racing.

After a few seconds of panic about where Trunks and Goten could possibly have run off to, Bulma suddenly had an inkling about their whereabouts. Without saying a word to her husband, Bulma stormed down the stairs towards the direction of her lab. With complete bewilderment, Vegeta followed behind her, easily keeping up with her pace.

Bulma practically punched in the entry code to her lab, and rushed inside. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach when she saw that the time machine was no longer in the center of the room. "I can't believe this! Trunks and Goten really took the time machine!"

"W-what? Time machine? What in the hell are you babbling about, woman?" Vegeta demanded, cocking an eyebrow.

Sighing, Bulma ran a hand down her face and turned to her puzzled husband. "The last few years, I've been working on a time machine, and today I finally finished it. Trunks saw it when he got home from school and wanted to use, but I told him no. And I _know_ exactly what time period those little shits traveled back to. . .they could ruin everything!"

"What time period are you referring to?" Vegeta asked, crossing his arms. Bulma didn't miss the rare hint of trepidation in his voice.

". . .Right when Future Trunks killed Frieza. If Goten and Trunks blow their cover, who knows what could happen! If my past self finds out that I ended up having a kid with _you_ of all people, then there's a likely chance that Trunks will never be born!"

Vegeta scoffed, completely appalled. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! Your past self would undoubtedly be thrilled to find out that she was privileged enough to mate with the Prince of all Saiyans. It's _my_ past self that would've been disgusted with the mere thought of coupling with some lowly human woman!"

"UGH! Just shut up, Vegeta!" Bulma bellowed, giving him a scowl. "This is no time for us to argue. This is a serious matter! You are a total jerk and a royal pain in the ass most of the time, but for some reason I really do love you, and I don't want our life together to get messed up by Trunks visiting the past," she murmured, delicately fiddling with her wedding ring.

Vegeta's annoyance with her ceased upon seeing the anxious look on her face. "Woman. . .Bulma, don't fret too much about this. Trunks may be an imp, but he's not an idiot. Surely he and Kakarot's brat won't screw anything up," he said gently, the arrogance in his voice completely gone as he placed an arm around her waist, pulling her against him.

Bulma pressed her face into Vegeta's shoulder, chewing on her bottom lip absentmindedly as her mind began to race. She was grateful that her husband was trying his best to ease her nerves, but she couldn't help but be worried. There was just so much that could go wrong.

She could only hope that Trunks and Goten would return soon, without a hitch.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, back in the past. . .**

"We're here! Time to watch my teenage self kick some ass!" Trunks cheered, stepping out of the time machine.

His eyes widened when he found that he was in his bedroom.

Except it _wasn't_ his bedroom yet in this timeline. There were no posters of superheros all over the wall, or video game consoles scattered everywhere. For now, this bedroom was just a simple guest room, with just a dresser and a large bed.

"Ugh, my room was so bland back in the olden days," Trunks scoffed as he looked around at the beige room.

"Yeah, it doesn't have your PS4 or anything fun," Goten agreed.

"Well, we didn't travel back in time to look at rooms or anything. We gotta find out where the action is!" Trunks declared, pumping one of his fists into the air.

A loud screech was then heard from down the stairs, catching both of the half-Saiyans off guard.

It was a screech that Trunks recognized all too well.

"Mom?"

After exchanging looks, the two boys opened the door and quietly made their way down the hallway, peering down the banister into the living room, catching sight of the younger version of Bulma flopping down onto the couch.

"Wow. . .check out your mom's hair," Goten whispered, taken aback by Bulma's blue afro.

"I heard my dad make a joke one time about my mom having 'puffball' hair when they were younger. This has gotta be that hairdo he was referring to," Trunks whispered back, smirking.

Bulma's perfectly manicured nails tapped against the glass beer bottle in her hand. "Those stupid men. . ." she fumed, taking a liberal sip of her beer. "Telling me that I can't watch the fight with Frieza because 'it's too dangerous'. Just because I'm a girl they think I'm 'weak and fragile'. Well, they can all bite me!"

 _Wow. . .my mom hasn't changed one bit. . ._

She slammed the beer bottle down on the coffee table in front of her, nearly cracking the glass. "I'm not gonna let those jerks tell me what to do! I'm gonna catch a glimpse of Frieza and they can't stop me!"

As she got to her feet, Trunks and Goten turned to each other with mischievous smiles. "For once I'm actually glad that my mom is stubborn. Let's go follow her!" Trunks smirked, tiptoeing down the stairs.

"K!" Goten nodded in agreement.

Making sure that Bulma didn't catch a glimpse of them, they followed her outside to her hover jet that was sitting in the yard. Once she took off into the sky, they flew a few feet behind the aircraft, both half-Saiyans smiling wide.

"This is gonna be the best day ever!" Trunks shouted animatedly, spinning around in the air.

Unfortunately for him, he had zero clue about the chaos that awaited him and his best friend.

* * *

A/N: I'll try to update again when I get a chance. Thanks for reading!


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